Red Card
by dawneh
Summary: Set during the football match... John Paul and Craig's friendship is falling apart and Sonny Valentine is enjoying the destruction... but not for long


John Paul McQueen let out a frustrated sigh as he slapped his palm down on the cold gymnasium floor. There was no doubt that act had been deliberate, just like every other time during the game when Craig Dean had slammed into him. As Craig walked passed John Paul lifted a hand for assistance to get to his feet but his request was ignored. No not ignored, refused.

With another sigh John Paul hauled himself upright.

A few days earlier Craig Dean had been his best mate but everything had changed in that very same school gym. Why did things always have to change?

Craig Dean pretended not to notice the look of hurt in John Paul's eyes every time he "accidentally" rammed his shoulder into the man or the look of disappointment when he knocked him to the floor. It was a football match, these things happen. John Paul lifted his hand for assistance and Craig wanted to reach out and take it, to haul his friend to his feet and make everything alright again. But instead he ignored it, pushing down the feelings of guilt that bubbled through him.

A few days earlier John Paul McQueen had been his best mate but everything had changed in that very same school gym. Why did things always have to change?

"Nice one Dean."

Sonny Valentine's voice echoed around the gym, a sound filled with bitterness and gloating and the approval in it made Craig feel nauseous.

It was only a few months ago that Sonny had been the bane of Craig's life, victimising him whenever the opportunity arose and it had been John Paul that had stepped up and defended him. Now it was John Paul who was bearing the brunt of Craig's frustration and anger, much to Sonny Valentine's delight.

John Paul ground his teeth at the sound of Sonny's voice. If there had ever been a more detestable person born John Paul had yet to meet them. It cut so sharply into John Paul's chest to see Sonny's hand slap Craig warmly on the back in commendation of his actions.

The adrenalin was racing hotly through Craig's body as he ran the length of the gym and it wasn't caused by the game of football that he was taking part in.

Why had John Paul admitted being gay in the first place? Why couldn't he have just lied, then everything would have been alright. But no… he had to go and stand up in front of the whole class and admit to being a poof and in doing so he had tarnished Craig with the same stigma. What else was Craig supposed to do but prove to everyone that he wasn't gay? He couldn't show any weakness now. He couldn't admit that in hurting John Paul he was hurting himself. He had to be strong. He had to be angry, and angry was easy.

John Paul gasped for air as he doubled over in pain. Craig's knee had crashed hard into his stomach, forcing the air from his lungs and sending him falling to the floor. There was no way Craig could even pretend that had been an accident and John Paul decided he wasn't going to stand for it any more.

If Craig wanted to hate him then so be it. If Craig chose the acceptance of Sonny Valentine over his friendship with John Paul then obviously that friendship wasn't as important as John Paul had always thought. But John Paul wasn't about to accept that kind of treatment, not from Craig Dean, not from anyone.

Craig had turned and walked away after knocking John Paul to the ground. He couldn't face the look in the younger man's eyes again, couldn't face his own shame.

"Hey," John Paul snarled as he approached Craig angrily, "You just took me out."

Craig staggered forward a few paced as John Paul shoved him hard.

"You wish," Sonny taunted with glee as Craig turned to face his one time best friend.

"Shut your face," Craig snapped as he raised his hands to echo John Paul's shove, the blonde haired man taking a few steps back with the force of the push before standing his ground.

The two men faced each other, their eyes sparked with rage and their fists clenched and unclenched at their sides.

It felt as if the whole room was holding its breath, waiting to see what happened next, taking bets with themselves over who would land the first punch.

John Paul couldn't remember ever feeling so betrayed in his whole life. The one person he thought he could trust implicitly had turned on him, leaving him lost and alone.

Craig couldn't remember ever feeling so confused in his whole life. The one person he thought he would defend above all others felt like a stranger to him, leaving him lost and alone.

"Go on Dean… show him what you've got," Sonny goaded from the side, "Unless he already knows!"

Laughter rippled around the room and Craig's fists clenched tighter at his sides. John Paul had caused all of this, nobody else. By saying he loved him, by kissing him, by being fucking gay. It was all his fault and he deserved everything he got.

John Paul stood in silent observation of the man he had once called his friend. He had no intention of making the first move on this, but neither would he back down. If Craig wanted a fight then he would get one and John Paul would show him just how weak this gay man really was.

Craig swallowed hard. It was all too much. The tension, the anger, the frustration and above all the need to prove himself. Why was that need so strong? John Paul's eyes were such a dark blue, filled with rage and hurt and… was that love? Was it possible that there was still love there, even now? Had John Paul's eyes always looked like that? Was it just that Craig had never noticed, or chose not to notice? Was the acceptance of Sonny Valentine and his gang of mindless thugs worth pouring more hurt into those gentle eyes?

"Come on Dean," Sonny called, "What are you waiting for… show the fucking queer boy what we think of his sort."

Craig couldn't hold back any longer. His rage boiled through him with such intensity that it had to be released and the satisfaction of his fist colliding with the man's face was instant.

Sonny's hands flew to his nose in shock and pain as blood poured from it. Craig had spun around so fast that he hadn't seen the blow coming and it had smacked him squarely between the eyes.

"You don't ever call him that again," Craig growled as he landed another punch on the pathetic creature before him. Within seconds Craig was raining blows down on the young Valentine's body, knocking him to the floor as he curled up defensively. Craig had released his rage and now he didn't know if he would ever be able to stop.

And then strong hands were holding him by the shoulders and pulling him away.

Strong calming hands that gripped gently but firmly as they guided Craig back from the fallen figure on the floor.

"Leave it Craig," John Paul said quietly, "He's not worth it."

Craig let his hands fall limply to his sides as John Paul steered him away. Turning his face to look at the younger man Craig saw a soft smile on John Paul's lips. He had been letting his friend down so much lately and he wasn't going to do that again.

"Come on, let's get out of here," John Paul suggested and they quickly headed for the exit, neither man turning to watch as the rest of the football players gathered around the fallen figure of Sonny Valentine, more than one of them thinking that he got exactly what he deserved.

---

When they entered the changing rooms Craig stopped and covered his face with his hands, everything had gotten so out of hand and he didn't know where to turn next.

"Are you OK?" John Paul asked kindly, his grip holding firmly onto Craig's shoulder. "You're shaking… are you sure you're alright?"

Peeling his hands from his face Craig looked again into John Paul's eyes. The anger and hurt was gone, replaced now by concern. But the love was still there and Craig had a feeling it had always been there.

Without thinking about what he was doing Craig lifted his hand to John Paul's face, his thumb stroking softly over the man's cheek before letting his palm rest against it.

"I'm so sorry," Craig said in a quiet apology of everything he had done, everything he had wanted to do.

"It's OK," John Paul replied, "I do understand."

"You do?"

"Of course… maybe it would have been better if I'd never told you how I felt… I should never have put that on you…"

"No… I mean… I'm glad you did… I think I'm glad you did…"

Craig caressed the softness of John Paul's face again. John Paul instinctively closed his eyes and let his face lean into the warmth of the gentle touch that sent such soft pleasures coursing through his body.

Craig's hand slid from John Paul's face to the back of his neck and, without giving himself chance to question his actions, he moved forward to press his mouth hard against John Paul's lips.

This time there was no way Craig could ever question who started this kiss and this time he knew he didn't want to.

Kissing John Paul a few days earlier had felt strangely exciting, but the alcohol had confused him and he had run from those feelings. This time there was nowhere he wanted to run to, nowhere else he wanted to be.

John Paul pulled Craig against him as their kiss deepened. He wasn't sure what was happening or how it was happening but he knew he didn't want it to stop. Not ever.

Craig pulled back from the kiss with a gasp; he had never in his life expected it to feel like that, to make him want it like that. The adrenalin from his earlier anger was still raging through his body, but now it was fuelling a different kind of passion.

"Are you sure about this?" John Paul asked, his chest heaving with months of pent up desire.

Craig opened his mouth to answer, his fingers running the length of John Paul's arms until he could take hold of the man's hands.

"I'm only sure about one thing," Craig said with a darkly sexy smile.

"And what's that?"

Craig let out a deep throaty laugh as he quickly pulled John Paul into motion.

"You need a shower!"

With another laugh Craig pulled his friend into the showers and turned on the hot streams of water, soaking them both through in seconds.

Looking down at his drenched football kit John Paul raised an amused eyebrow.

"Yeah… you should probably take that off," Craig said slowly as he took a tentative step towards the man. Reaching out he grabbed the hem of John Paul's top and pulled it over his head, letting it fall to the floor with a soggy plop.

Craig's hands were shaking as they touched nervously to John Paul's bare chest, stroking it gently as the mans nipples hardened beneath his palms.

"You don't have to do this you know," John Paul said. His heart was racing so fast he thought it might explode, as Craig's touch seemed to get more confident.

"I know," Craig replied with a smile. "But I want to."

Hardly a minute had passed before two football kits were lying in a sodden heap on the shower floor and the naked men stood beneath the powerful jets of hot water, which cascaded over their bodies like the touch of so many warm fingers.

Craig took a step forward but was halted by John Paul's hands gripping his shoulders and keeping him at arms length.

Craig felt his cheeks flush with embarrassed excitement as he realised that John Paul wanted to look at him. His rich blue eyes scouring every inch of the man's naked form with relish.

John Paul had wanted to look at Craig like this for so long, but had always forced himself to avert his eyes in case his lust had become too evident. But now he didn't have to look away and he drank in the gorgeous sight before him greedily.

Craig's slender form when clothed belied the muscular torso beneath. The strong shapely arms and the firmly toned chest. A narrow waist that led down to strong firm thighs and there between those thighs, the one location that John Paul had never dared to look and now the one location he could not tear his gaze from.

John Paul licked his lips and swallowed heavily. He couldn't think of anything that had ever looked more breathtaking than the sight of Craig Dean standing naked before him, rivulets of water trickling down his bare body and making his cock glisten invitingly.

John Paul swallowed again, his mouth seemed to be filled with saliva at the sight of Craig's cock. It wasn't just that it looked impressively long and thick that got John Paul so excited. It was the fact that it looked so hard, so totally aroused. The fact that Craig Dean had an erection and it was because of him.

Craig's eyes fell down to his cock and he took a deep breath. He couldn't remember it ever feeling that hard before, that desperate for attention, he had never been so quickly and completely turned on as he was in the presence of John Paul McQueen.

Letting his gaze wander Craig was satisfied to see that John Paul's arousal matched his own. He was surprised to discover how much another man's erection excited him. But then John Paul wasn't just another man. He was the man that had changed everything, that made it all seem alright and he was very probably the man that Craig Dean was falling in love with.

This time when Craig moved forward John Paul didn't try to stop him, as exciting as looking at Craig was it didn't compare to holding him or to kissing him.

John Paul could feel the cool of the shower tiles against his back as Craig's body pushed against him forcefully. Their mouths reconnected in a hunger that was desperate to be fed as lips parted and tongues tasted each other completely for the first time.

The sounds of the water around them blended with the soft growling moans as the men pressed their bodies harder together, solid erections rubbing against each other as they both rocked their hips slowly.

John Paul had never experience anything so physically exciting in his life and his fingers clawed desperately at Craig's back as he tried to pull the man closer to him, to blend their bodies into one as their chests heaved with exhilaration and their kisses became frantic and hungered.

Craig ground his groin hard into John Paul's, relishing the sensation of the man's firm cock rubbing against his own, the taste of John Paul's tongue hot inside his mouth and the racing of John Paul's heart drumming against his chest.

Craig gasped, his mouth breaking contact with John Paul's as he felt the man's hand push between them and take a firm but gentle hold of his cock. He couldn't stop the trembling that raced through his entire body as John Paul's hand stroked slowly over its entire length.

John Paul watched Craig's dark eyes widen as he touched the man, he could feel the shaking of his body and hear the soft breathy moans that fell from his lips. Craig Dean was completely at his mercy and it felt wonderful. Loosening his hold for a second John Paul stretched out his fingers to pull his own cock into the grip, pressing them together hard as his moved over their combined thickness, making them throb against each other until John Paul's trembles matched Craig's perfectly.

"John Paul what…" Craig gasped again as John Paul's thumb brushed over the dampness at the head of the man's cock and ran along the delicate slit until he could hardly take it.

John Paul hesitated with a sudden uncertainty. Was he pushing things too far or taking them too fast? The last thing he wanted to do was make Craig feel uncomfortable and, as amazing as it felt to be touching the man in that way, he had to be certain it was really what Craig wanted.

"Is this OK?" John Paul asked quietly, his hand motionless as it held the two erections together.

Craig's eyes were dark with so many emotions, the dominant one being the overpowering lust that John Paul had awoken in him.

"Christ John Paul it's… it's… for fucks sake don't stop…"

Reclaiming Craig's lips once again John Paul's hand moved fast and hard over the men's two cocks, his tongue penetrating Craig's mouth deeply as he felt the man's cock throb and pulse in time with his own.

Craig let the sensations of the flesh consume him and his body was hit with wave after wave of unexpected pleasures. Every second John Paul managed to make him feel something new and make his body shudder in a deeper more desperate way until he couldn't hold back any longer. His cock and balls ached for release and he dropped his head to John Paul's shoulder as he panted for breath.

The mixture of the silky precum and hot water made John Paul's hand glide effortlessly over the desperate cocks in his grip as he moved it ever faster. He could tell by the shaking of Craig's body, the pulsating throb of his cock and the deep throaty moans that spilled from the man's lips that Craig's climax was close and John Paul felt tremendous joy at the thought that he would be the cause of it. That he could make that gorgeous man feel such wonderful physical pleasure and that, no matter what ever else might happen, for that one moment in time Craig Dean wanted him.

"Oh god John Paul…" Craig's fingers dug hard into John Paul's hips as he fought to maintain his balance. He didn't think it was humanly possible for anything to feel quite that good, that intense, and he was almost afraid to let himself go in trepidation that the pleasure might surely kill him.

John Paul's breaths were coming in short ragged gasps as his body shook with the need for release. He knew his own climax was racing towards him at an unstoppable speed but as desperate as he was for that satisfaction he was even more desperate to make Craig achieve it. He wanted to make Craig come, to be the cause of it and to know that he could give the man he adored that much fulfilment.

"You feel so incredible in my hand Craig," John Paul breathed hotly into Craig's ear. "I want to feel you come… I want to hear you come… God Craig you're so fucking sexy…"

The last of Craig's resistance was crushed under the erotic power of John Paul's words and Craig cried out as his cock pulsed out its need, its heat spattering against John Paul's body, coating his hand and running down over the cocks in his grasp. Craig couldn't breath, he couldn't speak and he couldn't think. He could do nothing but feel as his climax assaulted his body with an exquisite violence that was filled with more intensity than he had ever experience before in his life.

John Paul bit hard against his lip as he felt Craig shake with the force of his climax, gasping as the heat of the man's lust touched his flesh, the feel of it spilling over the head of his cock an overwhelming sensation and John Paul's orgasm rocked his body before Craig's had even ended. The cries of the two men mingled together as surely as the sticky heat of their essence did until they were both completely spent and they collapsed against each other in bewildered exhaustion as the water from the shower proceeded to wash away the evidence of their enjoyment.

"We'd better get out of here before Sonny and his cronies arrive," Craig whispered after a while. His chest was still heaving as he fought to regain his breath and his eyes were glazed as he reluctantly stepped away from the incredible man who had managed, in a very short time, to completely change everything.

As the two friends stopped to scoop up their soggy football kits and head back into the changing rooms John Paul hesitated.

"Craig?" He said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"What was that?"

"How d'you mean?"

"It's just…" John Paul chewed his lip thoughtfully. "It's just… I mean… was that just a one off in the heat of the moment sort of thing… cause of everything that's happened today? You know… if it was then that's OK… I wouldn't change anything that happened just now… not for the world… but I need to know… is that all it was?"

Dropping his sodden kit into a carrier bag Craig turned to face the uncertain eyes of his best friend, the most amazing man he had ever known and smiled.

Craig's hand brushed lightly over John Paul's cheek, as it had done earlier before they went into the showers and took the step that pushed their relationship far beyond just friends. Craig had never thought it was possible to feel the way he was feeling or to do what they had just done. But more than that Craig had never thought that he would want to do so much more. As he looked at the naked man standing before him, droplets of water running over his bare skin, Craig knew that what had begun in the school gymnasium a few days earlier couldn't end now. As surprising as it was Craig wanted more, wanted to experience more and he wanted to experience it with John Paul. He wanted to know how it felt to make John Paul come, to know how it tasted to take John Paul into his mouth and he wanted to know the secret pleasures that could be found in having John Paul buried deep inside him.

"I think…" Craig began hesitantly as he looked into the blue eyes that were more beautiful than he could ever remember them being. "I think maybe… I think this is just the start of things…"

"Yeah?" John Paul's eyes shone with a luminance that matched the brightness of his smile.

"Yeah," Craig assured him as he took as step forward to kiss the man's lips once more.

John Paul's football kit fell forgotten to the floor as he pulled Craig into his arms and sank into a kiss that made him feel stronger and weaker than he had ever thought possible.

John Paul couldn't remember when a football match had ever been quite so enjoyable.


End file.
